Stop #4 Trinity Church

Trinity Church

Talia Stewart and Blair Haworth

*On top is a bird's eye view of Trinity Church in 1846. On the bottom is the location of Trinity Church, which is located between Broadway and Wall Street*

Imagine a tremendous space filled with beautiful stained glass and stunning architecture. Where do you think you are? Trinity Church. The famous landmark of Trinity Church has been altered over many years; however, it has maintained its cultural significance and unique architecture throughout.

Background:

The first anglican church, Trinity Church, was formed by a royal charter from King William III on Many 6, 1697. Throughout the colonial period and the start of the nineteenth century, the parish included many churches in Manhattan. After the first service was conducted in a church on Broadway and Wall Street, Queen Anne of Great Britain increased the parish's land to 215 acres. In 1696, Governor Benjamin Fletcher approved the purchase of land by the Anglican community in order to build the first church, which was finally built 2 years later. Unfortunately, the church was destroyed by a fire in 1776, which was 6 days after most or all of the city's firemen followed Washington north. Once the British evacuated the colonies at the end of the revolution, the charter of the anglican church in 1784 no longer had ties with England. The denomination of the church today is episcopal. The second trinity church was consecrated in 1790 but then destroyed after structural problems in 1839. Finally the church that stands today was built in 1846.

What was the reason for building Trinity Church?

The Anglicans not only wanted to create a religious monument that would provide guidance to their people, but the church was also created with the intentions of having something significant that they made themselves and could call their own. Trinity Church demonstrates the importance of Anglicans during the American Revolution.  

What is the architectural significance of Trinity Church?

The picture above depicts the inside of Trinity Church.  After the church was destroyed in the fire of 1776 and demolished again in 1839, a new one was built in 1846.  The church that still stands today was designed by Richard Upjohn in a Gothic Revival style.  This style draws directly from original Gothic decorative patterns such as lancet windows, hood moldings, and label stops. The term Gothic Revival refers to the literary and aesthetic movement during the 1830s and 1840s, and this was concurrent in England.  Gothic architecture instills the goodness from past medieval times to mask wickedness because during the medieval times there was an interest in presumed "goodness".  

What is Trinity Church used for today?

Trinity Church is still used for religious ceremonies/services and is available for weddings and special events such as baptisms. The church also contains a historical museum about the history of the church and guided tours that occur daily. Trinity Church is also rich in musical happenings. There are multiple choirs that meet and perform regularly and the church hosts many classical or contemporary concerts yearly.

Links for Pictures:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Church_(Manhattan) 

https://www.trinitywallstreet.org/

https://www.google.com/search?q=trinity+church+nyc&safe=strict&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMI5Zq1lJPlyAIVSzI-Ch3Bnw2P&biw=1282&bih=740#imgrc=NvADcx74qUCDOM%3A

Battle of Brooklyn

British and Hessians overwhelming the Americans

The Battle of Brooklyn was critical to the war because of the following:

1) It was the largest battle in the war and was George Washington's first battle as general in combat 

        *The battle was an instant lesson for Washington and his army - don't split your army and avoid direct confrontation with the British due to their overwhelming numbers 

        *His retreat helped gain trust and respect from American's because they saw the retreat as Washington saving all of the soldiers

2) George Washington had his army retreat during the night
        *Originally he wanted to continue to fight
        *Took advice from another commander and agreed to retreat
        *Disguised the retreat as calling for reinforcements in order to prevent panic and keep the British from wiring a sense of urgency that would cause them to investigate and eventually attack the rest of Washington's army before the retreat was executed.
        *Noreaster prevented British from outflanking the Americans at the river's edge
        *The night's cover couldn't get all the soldiers across the river during the night alone and the light of day would allow the British to spot them, but luckily there was a dense fog that impaired the vision of the British and helped the Americans get away.
3) Why is this retreat so important?
       *The Battle of Brooklyn happened very early in the war
       *Nearly half of the soldiers were involved in this war so loss of morale and soldiers would have been so devastating to Washington's army that he would have had to hold off on pursuing the revolution

Stop #13- Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Bridge

What it does?

·      Links boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn together (over East River)

construction

·      Took 14 years to build (started in 1870)

·      600 workers

o   more than 24 people died in the process (including the original designer)

·      cost $15 million (more than $320 million today)

·      its more than 125 years old

·      to build foundation:

o   workers excavated the river bed

§  used huge wooden boxes: caissons

§  Caissons were held to the bottom of the river with granite blocks

ú  They pumped in pressurized air to prevent water and debris from coming in

ú  Every week, they got closer to the bedrock

§  Sandhogs (what workers were called)

ú  Immigrants

ú  Made $2 a day

ú  Used shovels and dynamite to clear the mud and boulders

§  Caissons: were 44ft deep on Brooklyn side and 78ft deep on Manhattan side

ú  Workers started to lay granite

o   Caissons

§  Terrible conditions

ú  Extremely hot

ú  workers got headaches, itchy skin, bloody noses, and slowed heartbeats

·      however, it was safe

§  going to and from the East River was terrible

ú  sandhogs had to ride in small iron containers called airlocks to get down

·      as airlock went down, it filled with compressed air

o   what allowed them to breath in the caisson

o   also prevented the water from coming into the caisson

o   dissolved dangerous gas into worker’s bloodstreams (when they went back up, the dissolved gases in their blood were released)

ú  “Caisson disease” or “the bends”

·      joint pain, paralysis, convulsions, numbness, speech impediments, death

o   more than 100 workers suffered these symptoms

§  Washington Roebling- paralyzed for the rest of his life

ú  Wife Emily took over: he had to watch with a telescope

ú  Some workers also died from collapsing, fires, and explosions

§  1909

ú  New York legislature: passed Caisson-safety laws

·      May 24, 1883

o   Bridge was opened

§  Within 24 hours, 250,000 people had walked across it

Today

·      145 years old

·      carries ~150,000 vehicles and people a day

History

·      Creator: John Augustus Roebling

o   Born in 1806- Germany

o   Studied industrial engineering in Berlin

o   25 years old- immigrated to Pennsylvania

§  tried to become a farmer

o   moved to Harrisburg

§  worked as a civil engineer

§  made a wire-cable factory

o   was known for being a designer of suspension bridges

§  “Roebling is credited with a major breakthrough in suspension-bridge technology: a web truss added to either side of the bridge roadway that greatly stabilized the structure. Using this model, Roebling successfully bridged the Niagara Gorge at Niagara Falls, New York, and the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio.”

o   1867

§  New York legislators approved Roebling’s plan for a suspension bridge

ú  First steel suspension bridge

ú  Longest span: 1600 feet from tower to tower

o   1869

§  boat smashed Roebling’s toesà died of Tetanus three weeks later

ú  Washington A. Roebling (his 32 year old son) took over as chief engineer

fun facts

·      May 17^th, 1884- Barnum circus led 21 elephants over the bridge to prove it was secure

·      Originally called the “New York and Brooklyn Bridge”, then called the “East River Bridge”

o   1915- became Brooklyn Bridge

·      president at the time

o   Chester Arthur

·      Length: 5989 feet

·      Width: 85 feet

·      Height- 276.5 ft

·      6740 tons of material

can sustain 7 times its own weight

Stop #6 Alexander Hamilton Tombstone/Biography

*Top picture is of Hamilton and the bottom picture is his tombstone

This site is the tombstone of Alexander Hamilton who contributed in three major ways.

1. Hamilton was a founding father that acted in the Military.
1. Came to America as poor immigrant but fought his way to a better life
2. Hamilton was a part of the continental army.
3. He was called upon by George Washington for his expertise (because of his education)  and became his assistant
4. Led a successful charge in Battle of Yorktown
2. Hamilton was a well-known lawyer
1. Studied initially in King’s College when he came to america and returned to his studies as lawyer after the war
2. He went against the Trespass Act that made Loyalist pay rebels
3. Hamilton then began to defend Loyalists who were treated poorly
4. Showed that Hamilton was a “bigger man” ; he fought for what was right and was against injustice
3. Hamilton became an active leader in politics and became the first secretary of the treasury.
1. He created the first National Bank.
2. Set up war bonds, taxes, and more as secretary of treasury.
3. Hamilton created the first Federalist party
4. He helped Jefferson become president
5. His activeness in politics eventually got him killed in a duel against Aaron Burr

Stop #2: Fort George/Customs House/Museum of the Native American

Fort George as seen from the south

This site has served three very different functions over the course of the city’s history:

1) as the military defense of the city when it was a Dutch and British colony.

        * was headquarters for Peter Stuyvesant

        * The Dutch surrendered to British - and later the British surrendered to the Americans here

        * The fort was the target of the angry Stamp Act rioters, who hanged the governor in effigy and burned his coach. 

2) as the Federal Customs House for the port in the late 1800's.

        * the size and ornate design symbolized the importance of NYC trade to the nation during an era when the US became a global economic power

3) as the National Museum of the American Indian today. 

         * Does anyone see the irony of this as the site for a museum devoted to Native American art and culture?